Mark E. Smith’s Books & Talks

From Facing the Insurmountable to Accomplishing the Impossible

About Making the Most of It

 

“Making the Most of It” is a small book packed with powerful lessons.  I was deeply touched by this book with its message for positive change. Mark speaks with a wisdom many individuals never reach in their lifetime. This compelling book is a definite must read not just for the disability community, but for all who wish to go through life passionately and making a difference. -Anita Weber

 

***

 

I enjoyed "Making the Most of It" a lot. What I take away as an able-bodied person is that many of the success factors work in everyone's life, especially in business. –Phil Baechler, CEO, Magic Wheels, Inc.

 

***

“From Surviving To Thriving.” That is the title to the introduction for Mark E. Smith’s new book, Making the Most of It. From the very first page he articulated an issue that I am coming to realize I have struggled with in my young adulthood without knowing it.

 

For so many people with disabilities, learning to survive life is as necessary as breathing itself. We have to find our own ways to accomplish basic physical abilities and daily tasks that able-bodied people don’t even have to think about. Mark writes so brilliantly that many times surviving is often a necessity of circumstance. And indeed, I whole-heartedly agree.

 

But what about after that? What about after we learn how to survive and discover we want more? When we acknowledge the desire to have the same successes in our careers, our relationships, our personal endeavors, that everyone else has.

 

He writes of the cross-roads he reached in his 20’s. He had survived to being an independent 21-year-old with the beginnings of his family and career. Yet, he still scratched his head at times, thinking, “How did I get here exactly?”

 

It is a question I have asked myself so many times I can’t even count. Even to this day. Taking what we learn in survival mode and applying it to achieve a higher vision for ourselves. A vision that most likely no one else thinks we can accomplish, and we aren’t even sure we can ourselves.

 

It is a journey, a process, and I’m still trying to figure it all out. Mark’s book has been a huge insight for me. He asks the questions and poses the challenges of life that resonate deeply for me. –Jody Yarborough

 

***

 

I’ve spent the last 20 years trying to live with my injury. Not physically but emotionally. Mark’s book has unlocked many of my doors stopping me from rediscovering who I am. –T.J. Shandler

What Readers are Saying…